sustainable Jerusalem

Issues and Guidelines in the Planning of Jerusalem Introduction

Naomi Tsur - Director of S.P.N.I Jerusalem Branch
Coordinator of Sustainable Jerusalem Coalition.

Prof. Shlomo Hasson - Chairman of the forum for the Future of Jerusalem. Head of the Department of Urban Studies, Hebrew University.

The absence of a comprehensive urban master plan for Jerusalem, combined with the socio-economic problems currently facing the city, constitute the factors that have contributed to the formation of the green Jerusalem coalition known as Sustainable Jerusalem.
The Sustainable Jerusalem Coalition was founded in 1998 by a number of environmental groups - some representing local task force action committees, others operating as the Jerusalem branch offices of larger national and international organizations. The initiative behind the establishment of Sustainable Jerusalem originated in a group of local urban planners who formed the Forum for the Future of Jerusalem, together with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. Today, well on its way and growing, the Sustainable Jerusalem Coalition comprises more than forty different groups and organizations.

Prominent among the different causes leading up to the establishment of this coalition was the issue of physical planning in Jerusalem. The lack of an up-to-date statutory outline plan influenced and exacerbated the outbreak of a fierce public struggle to determine an appropriate image for this unique and sensitive city, at the turn of thet century. Many local neighborhood groups formed to protest construction projects that threatened to hamper their quality of life, and negatively impact upon the urban landscape. The concept guiding the founders of Sustainable Jerusalem was the quest to find a positive and constructive framework within which citizens would be able to express their feelings and concerns regarding the character of the City of Jerusalem that they envisioned. The Sustainable Jerusalem Coalition has initiated and is now developing a comprehensive urban master plan for the city of Jerusalem, and aims to halt the progress of development plans that are blatantly opposed to the principles of the Sustainable Jerusalem Charter.
The purpose of the coalition is to establish a planning agenda, which will generate an ongoing public dialogue. The idea is to cultivate an active public community that will take an active role in all processes that determine the future character of the city. The coalition attributes a great deal of significance to the formal and informal educational processes that help promote the interaction between the individual and society, on the one hand, and between the individual and the environment, on the other. Through these processes, the coalition hopes to transmit the values and insight gained throughout to the different local schools, community centers, civic organizations, and neighborhoods.
The fact that the local and national governments are the principle parties responsible for Jerusalem's urban and environmental planning is undisputed. Nevertheless, local democracy in a healthy civil society attributes the citizen with the right to participate in the design of the city's character. This concept is supported by the United Nations Rio Declaration, which in 1992 called on local governments all over the world to prepare sustainable city plans in cooperation with their local citizens. It is in this same spirit of "Local Agenda 21" that Sustainable Jerusalem intends to function, establishing close and positive ties with local government, in order to assure the public an ongoing opportunity to comment on, respond to, and actively participate in the city's urban development process.

Sustainable development implies achieving a balance in economic, environmental and social growth, with the maximum participation of the local population. Sustainable development "is development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." It requires a long-term planning vision, which places limitations on development in the present, in order to serve the needs of future generations. The idea of sustainability is particularly relevant to a city like Jerusalem, where responsibility must be taken to protect the natural environment, and preserve the heritage that is carved into its landscape, while exercising respect for the different needs and beliefs of its many population groups. Few cities in the world can boast the complex and sensitive cultural and social fabric that is Jerusalem. Sustainable development in Jerusalem must respect this mosaic of life, and act to improve the ties between different social groups, in order to foster social justice through the provision of equal opportunities for economic and social growth in all sectors of the population.

The political reality in Jerusalem complicates and burdens the development process. The Sustainable Jerusalem Coalition is composed of Israeli citizens who do not want to control or manage the lives of their Arab neighbors. While the coalition cannot ignore the tradition and history carved into the stones of the Old City and its historic skyline, sustainable development must strive to foster social equality and pluralism among the different social groups living in the area. Sustainable Jerusalem upholds the belief that whatever the political solution may be, Jerusalem will always remain an open city, promoting respect for different lifestyles, and assuring the maximum participation of all of its different population groups. The development concepts behind a Sustainable Jerusalem will contribute to physical and social growth, while promoting coexistence, tolerance, and mutual understanding between different groups. With this goal in mind, the Arab residents of East Jerusalem were invited to take part in the organizing activities of the Sustainable Jerusalem Coalition, and the coalition hopes to keep these channels of communication open in the future as well.

Jerusalem has evolved in recent years from one of Israel's main cities, surrounded by small towns and villages, to a major metropolitan center characterized by rapid growth. However, despite the transformation from city to metropolis, the Jerusalem planning systems continue to operate according to traditional and old-fashioned concepts. The government of Israel has appointed a team of planners for the purpose of designing a regional development plan, and the city of Jerusalem has appointed its own team of planners for the preparation of an urban master plan. In all of this planning, the need has emerged to formulate an overall metropolitan concept, viewing Jerusalem and its environs as a single entity. Sustainable planning for the city of Jerusalem does not suffice with planning on the basis of existing land-use specifications. Sustainable planning promotes comprehensive planning, combining economic, social and environmental development goals. While the government Planning and Building Law stipulates that construction projects must be submitted on the basis of existing land use criteria, the public living in this metropolitan area must break through these limits and propose comprehensive regional planning alternatives

It is this idea which has prompted the Sustainable Jerusalem Coalition to propose a comprehensive metropolitan planning program for the City of Jerusalem.

Since the actualization of the planning program will require continuous follow-up and regular review, the Sustainable Jerusalem Coalition is actively formulating task evaluation criteria. These evaluations will allow for a steady flow of information to the public regarding achievements as well areas still in need of improvement, or of more appropriate solutions.

1. Long-range strategic planning, combining economic, social
    and environmental development.

2. Concept of the city and its environs as an integrated system,
    with the goal of preventing abuse of natural resources; limiting
    the generation of waste and pollution; promotion of urban
    vitality with high-quality educational, health, and economic
    facilities; promotion of social equality, and leisure-time
    options.

3. Regular follow-up on the basis of planning and development
    evaluation criteria.

4. Maximum inclusion and participation of local residents in the
     planning process. The public will have free access to
     information and will be briefed regularly about the progress
     of the planning process, and asked for their input.

5. Promotion of an involved and active civil society, comprised
    of people who view the residential areas around them as
    total comprehensive, holistic systems that integrate social,
    ecological, economic and planning needs.

The Sustainable Jerusalem Coalition is acting on the basis of the above guidelines to formulate a sustainable development program for the city of Jerusalem. The program includes the following four components:

1. A comprehensive vision for the future of Jerusalem.

2. Planning outlines on the basis of defined domain areas:
    demography, society, transportation, open spaces, density,
    preservation, etc.

3. Design of planning alternatives.

4. Conceptual design for integrated social and physical planning
    for the city of Jerusalem and the overall metropolitan area.

Member organizations in the Sustainable Jerusalem Coalition will prepare a program with their "visions" of Jerusalem for the future. During 1998-1999, representatives of the 25 founder organizations have worked on developing the Sustainable Jerusalem Charter, under the guidance of professional urban planners from the Forum for the Future of Jerusalem, and in coordination with the Jerusalem branch of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. The Charter was published in July, 1999, and may be viewed on the Sustainable Jerusalem Coalition's internet site. The Charter presents a comprehensive vision for the future of the city based on the following guidelines: environmental quality, social development, urban democracy, and economic progress. The Sustainable Jerusalem Charter was signed by the organizations that took part in its creation, and serves as a basis for all coalition activities.

The Forum for the Future of Jerusalem approached 10 different planning teams and requested that they prepare planning guidelines for Jerusalem and its environs, based on the comprehensive vision presented in the Sustainable Jerusalem Charter. The teams completed their work in September, 2000, and an abstract of their work is presented here. The planning guidelines were presented to the public in two meetings that were held in the context of "Bamat Haya'ar," at the Zippori Center, and to members of the Sustainable Jerusalem Coalition. These guidelines will also be presented to the general public in the future via the different community centers and community councils throughout the city, in order to correct the program in conjunction with the comments and recommendations of the local residents. Summaries of the teams' work can be accessed on this site. Choose the planning issue that interests you.

The Forum for the Future of Jerusalem completed this phase in May of 2001, with the preparation of 3 future planning alternatives for a sustainable Jerusalem and its environs. These alternatives will be presented to the public for their comments and recommendations, and their choice of an optimal alternative. A preliminary presentation of the planning alternatives for public comment may be viewed on the Forum's internet site. The fourth phase of the program - the preparation of an integrated plan - will commence following the receipt of public feedback.

The Sustainable Jerusalem program is being conducted with the support of the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, and the Dorot-Cummings Foundation (I.C.P), and the Charles and Andrea Bronfman Philanthropies.

The Public and Community Program Context of the Sustainable Jerusalem Coalition

From the time the Charter was completed up until the present stage of planning carried out by the teams appointed by the Forum for the Future of Jerusalem, the Sustainable Jerusalem Coalition has evolved and expanded to include a wide rang of public and communal activities. The 40 participant groups maintain regular contact at scheduled meetings, which are conducted to discuss current environmental issues. A "Green Lobby" forum also meets, and its purpose is to create a dialogue between the different associated organizations and city council members. Sustainable Jerusalem, as a "coalition," holds numerous events, which serve to unify the different local activist groups in the promotion of civic campaigns, such as: preservation of the Jerusalem Forest, the future of Armon Hanatziv, development of the City Center, the future of Hanevi'im Street, preservation of Ein Karen, etc. Much of the local initiative has emerged from the grass roots strata of the society, testifying to a kind of "inverted pyramid" effect. In this way, the "coalition" promotes alternative programs in response to non-sustainable development projects. Examples are the protests against the building construction planned in Ein Karen, Hanevi"im Street, the Jerusalem Forest, the Pri-Har Valley, and the Arazim Valley, etc.

The initiative of local citizens has succeeded in influencing municipal policy with regard to different ecological issues such as solid waste treatment. Plastic recycling bins have become common objects in the urban landscape. Such accomplishments usher in an age of social and civic responsibility, in which the individual can no longer remain isolated from and oblivious to the urban system he/she inhabits. The local cable TV network program, "Around Nature," serves all of the city's environmental activist groups. The program is televised nation-wide, not only on local TV, because the Cable Authority recognizes the important message it imparts to viewers all over the country. In addition, during the past year, the coalition has published a bimonthly newspaper, which reflects its vision for a sustainable Jerusalem. The newspaper is circulated in 5,000 copies to different activists, groups, the local architectural community, local planners, and decision-makers.

The Sustainable Jerusalem Steering Committee, composed of representatives of the different groups, and members of the planning forum, has met regularly during the past two years to discuss current issues. Dialogues conducted by the Committee have resulted in organized responses upholding the sustainable Jerusalem concept. For example, policy papers have been presented to the local and national planning committees on pressing current issues such as the increase in permissible building height, and the plan to relocate the Pi Glilot gas facility to the center of the Jerusalem Forest, plus many other issues.

The various organizations that comprise "Sustainable Jerusalem" are proud of their accomplishments, since they now know that as a result of their work, they have become the clients of the different planning efforts, together with all other city residents. This sense of becoming a city "patron," will surely serve to enhance and expand the commitment of local residents to their own immediate as well as distant environments, and undoubtedly result in bringing the spirit of the United Nation's Local Agenda 21, to the planning of Jerusalem as well.

The Sustainable Jerusalem Planning Program

The Forum for the Future of Jerusalem, together with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, and the Sustainable Jerusalem Coalition, comprising more than 40 organizations, are all involved in a brain-storming effort to develop a new, comprehensive, urban planning program for the city of Jerusalem. This program represents the summary of all work carried out by the planning teams, since the completion of the first edition of the Sustainable Jerusalem Charter.

All the rights guarded to the Sustainable Jerusalem Coalition 2001